Blank-heating furnace



March 2 1926. 1,574,876

' A. D. FERGUSON BLANK HEATING4TURNACE Filed April 5, 1922 Patented 2,1%26.

ALEXANDER D. FERGUSON, OF CHICAGO,

ILLINOIS; ASSIGNOR TO SULLIVAN MA- CI-IINEEY COMPANY, A conronarron orMASSACHUSETTS.

BLANK-HEATING FURNACE.

Application filed April 5,

To all whom it may concern:

file it known that I, ALEXANDER D. FERGU- soN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inBlank-Heating Furnaces, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact specification.

My invention relates to blank heating furnaces, and more particularly toblank heating furnaces for heating the blanks from which the cutter bitsare made for use in mining machines of the cutter bit type, or forheating bits requiring resharpening, or for reheating bits prior totempering.

An object of my invention is to provide an improved blank heatingfurnaceu Another object of my invention is to provide an improved blank'ieating furnace which will provide a constant supply of heated blanksand in which a series of blanks may be gradually brought up to therequired temperature for working or tempering. A further object of myinvention is to provide an improved blank heating furnace provided withheating means of the hydrocarbon burner type. Other objects andadvai'itages of my invention will hereinafter more fully appear.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown for purposes of illustrationone form which my invention may assume in practice.

In these drawings,

Fig. 1 is a view partially in side elevation and partially broken awayof the illustrative embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the illustrative embodiment shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section on the line 3 -3 of Fig. 1.

In-the embodiment of my invention which I have shown and shall nowdescribe for purposes of illustration, a heating furnace generallydesignated 1 together with blank conveying means generally designated 2are supported upon suitable legs 3 and 1, the furnace proper comprisinga combustion chamber 5' which is herein made up of parallel lateralsides or rows of fire brick 7 be tween which there is arranged a fireclay or fire brick bottom 8' which slopes upward from the burner end ofthe furnace,- as indioated in Fig. 1, while the top of the furnace isnearly closed by a row of fire brick 9 1922. Serial No. 549,928.

supported upon one of the sides of fire brick 7 and projecting nearlyacross the top of the combustion chamber 5 to form a long narrow vent orflue 6. The entire combustion chamber is supported in a channel-likemetal frame 10 whichis supported by the legs 3 and 1. A burner which maybe of any suitable type is shown at 11, this burner being disposed atthe deeper endof the combustion chamber and. projecting its flamelongitudinally thereof. The fire bricks are held against displacement bystrap-like members 12 extending over their tops. Car ried by suitablebrackets or hangers 13 and 1 1 of which the latter is formed on theframe, at the end of the combustion chamber remote from the burner is apulley or belt wheel 15 and the frame member on which the member 14: isformed extends throughout the entire forward side of the machine and is.provided at its opposite end with a member 1st carrying a journal 16 inwhich a shaft 17 is rotatably supported. A second hangersimi lar to thehanger 13 may be employed, if desired, to support the shaft 17 but isnot shown. Secured to the shaft 1'? is a second belt wheel or pulley 18to which on the opposite side of the journal 16 a gear 19 is secured.The gear 1 9 is driven by a pinion 20 and this pinion is driven by aratchet wheel 21 secured thereto and rotated by a pawl carrying arm 23oscill-atable about the axis of the pinion 20 and gear '21. The arm 23'carries a pawl 2a which engages with serrations 25 in. the periphery ofthe ratchet wheel 21. Any suitable supporting means may be en' ployedfor the wheel 21, the pinion 20, and the arm; 23, these being shownherein as supported upon a depending bracket 26 secured to the memberslet and rigidly supporting a shaft 27 upon which the gear and pinion arerotatable and the arm 23 oscillat-able'. For the purpose of oscillatingthe arm, a link 28 is connected with an adjustable block 29 adjustablymovable in a slot 30 in a gear 81 which is journaled in a suit-ablehanger on the frame and driven by a gear 33 on a power shaft 34 which isdriven by a pulley 35 at the back of the machine. An endless sheet metalbelt 38 passes around the peripheries of the wheels 15 and 18 and passesover the top of the "front row erwall of fire brick 7 and the strap12w'vhich'holds them in position.

jected to more and more intense heat.

As the pulley 35 is rotated, the belt 38 is caused to travel with itstop strand moving from right to left and a series of bits are laidthereon at the right hand end thereof and then move along, as indicatedat 40 in Fig. 2, with their ends 41 projecting into the slot 6 formedbetween the top of the fire brick 7 and the adjacent side of the firebrick 9.

As a result of this construction, it will be noted that the metalconveyor belt is protected from direct contact with the flame from theburner while the bits are subjected, as to their points, which is theonly portion requiring heating, to the full heat of the blast and as themaximum heat is generated near the left hand end of the combustionchamber, the bits are progressively gbwing to the shape of thecombustion chamber, a great amount of heat is transmitted to the bits byradiation as well as being imparted thereto by the combustion productsand, by reason of the disposition of the bits in the only path of escapeof the combustion products from the combustion chamber, the heat is mosteiiiciently used.

lVhile I have in this application specifically described one form whichmy invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that thisform of the same is shown for purposes of illustration and that the invention may be modified and embodied in various other forms withoutdeparting from its spirit or the scope of the appended claims.

hat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a blank heating furnace, a substantially horizontal combustionchamber having an inclined bottom and a longitudinally directed burner,and means including a conveyor for conducting a series of blanks alongsaid combustion chamber.

2. In a blank heating furnace, a combustion chamber having an inclinedbottom, a substantially horizontal top, and a relativelynarrowlongitudinally extending flue or vent at the top thereof, andmeans including a conveyor for conducting a series of blanks along saidvent.

In a blank heating furnace, a combustion; chamber having alongitudinally disposed vent at the top thereof, and means in cluding aconveyor to one side of said vent for conducting a series of blanksalong said vent to discharge adjacent the hottest point therein.

4. In a blank heating furnace, a combustion chamber having an inclinedbottom and a relatively narrow longitudinal slot at the top thereof, aburner discharging longitudinally of said combustion chamber from thedeeper end thereof, and means for conveying a series of blanks withportions thereof projecting across said vent.

In a blank heating furnace, a combustion chamber comprising parallelside walls, an inclined bottom, and a top supported upon one of saidside walls and terminating short of the other, and means including aconveyor running along the other of said side walls for supporting aseries of bits over the vent formed between said last mentioned sidewall and said top.

6. In a blank heating furnace, a combustion chamber having an inclinedbottom and a longitudinally arranged vent at the top thereof, and a beltconveyor moving outside the path of combustion products through saidrent for supporting a series of blanks projecting into said vent.

7. In a blank heating furnace, a combustion chamber having alongitudinally directed burner, and means including a conveyor arrangedwholly outside said chamber for conducting a series of blanks along saidchamber to discharge adjacent the hottest point therein.

In a blank heating furnace, a con1bustion chamber having alongitudinally directcd burner, and means including a conveyor runningalong the top of said combustion chamber for conducting a series ofblanks along said chamber to discharge adjacent the hottest pointtherein.

9. In a blank heating furnace, a combustion chamber having an inclinedbottom and a top arranged so that the top and bottom approach towardsthe upper end of the latter, a burner discharging longitudinallythereof, and means including a conveyor for conducting a series ofblanks along the top of the combustion chamber to discharge adjacent thehottest point therein.

10. In a blank heating furnace, an elongated combustion chamber having abottom so formed as to produce a point of maximum heat at one endthereof, and means including a conveyor for conducting a series ofblanks longitudinally of said chamber to discharge adjacent the hottestpoint therein.

11. In a blank heating furnace, a combus tion chamber having a narrowlongitudinally extending fine and a burner discharging a gaseous mixturelongitudinally thereof, and a conveyor adapted to convey a ries ofblanks along the top of said fine to discharge adjacent the point ofhighest temperature. I

12. In a blank heating furnace, a combust-ion chamber having an inclinedbottom and a burner located at the deepest point therein and dischargingtowards the shallowest point therein, and a conveyor adapted to convey aseries of blanks in the path of the combustion products to discharge theblanks of highest temperature at the shallow point in said chamber.

13. In a blank heating furnace, a horizontal combustion chamber havingan inclined bottom and a graduation of heat therein along its length,and a conveyor adapted to convey a series of blanks along said chamberto discharge adjacent the hottest point therein.

1a. In a blank heating furnace, a combustion chamber horizontallydisposed and having its bottom inclined longitudinally, a burnerdischarging longitudinally thereof, and a conveyor adapted to convey aseries of blanks along said chamber and dis charge at the top of saidinclined bottom.

15. In a blank heating furnace, a tapered combustion chamber having aninclined bot tom and a longitudinally directed burner, and meansincluding a conveyor for conducting a series of blanks along saidcombustion chamber towards the smaller end thereof.

16. In a blank heating furnace, an elongated combustion chamber, andmeans including a conveyor for conducting a series of blankslongitudinally of and over said chamber to discharge adjacent thehottest point therein.

17. In a blank heating furnace,an elongated substantially horlzontalcombustion chamber having an inclined bottom and a burner dischargingtherein, and means for conducting a series of blanks longitudinallyalong said chamber.

18. In a blank heating furnace, a'n elongated combustion chamberprovided With an inclined bottom and a substantially horizontal top, andmeans for conducting a series of blanks longitudinally thereof havingportions projecting over said chamber along said top.

19. In a blank heating furnace, an elongated combustion chamber providedwith an inclined bottom and a substantially horizontal top, and meansfor conducting a series of blanks longitudinally thereof projecting oversaid chamber along said top to discharge adjacent the hottest point insaid chamber.

20. In a blank heating furnace, an elongated combustion chamber havingan inclined bottom, means including a conveyor for conducting a seriesof blanks longitudinally along said chamber, and means for driving saidconveyor at variable speeds.

21. In a blank heating furnace, an elongated combustion chamber providedwith an inclined plane bottom and a burner discharging therein, andmeans to guide a series of blanks through said chamber to dischargeadjacent a point oppositely disposed from said burner discharge.

22. In a blank heating furnace, a combustion chamber provided with aninclined bottom and a burner discharging therein, and means to guideaseries of blanks through said chamber to discharge the blanks ofhighest temperature adjacent a point oppositely disposed from saidburner discharge.

23. In a blank heating furnace, an elongated tapered combustion chamberhaving an inclined bottom, and means including an endless belt conveyorfor conducting a series of blanks longitudinally along said chamber.

24. In a blank heating furnace, an elongated tapered combustion chamberhaving an inclined bottom and a horizontally disposed flue, and meansfor conducting a series of blanks longitudinally along said fine.

25. In a blank heating furnace, an elongated tapered combustion chamberhaving an inclined bottom and a flue, and means for conducting a seriesof blanks longitudinally along said flue to discharge the blanks adjacent the hottest point in said chamber.

26. In a blank heating furnace, an elongated tapered combustion chamberhaving an inclined bottom and a longitudinally disposed vent at the topthereof and means including a conveyor arranged atone side of said ventfor conducting a series of blanks longitudinally along said vent todischarge adjacent the hottest point in said chamber.

27. In a blank heatingv furnace, an elongated tapered combustion chamberhaving an inclined bottom and a burner discharging upwardly along saidbottom, and means for conducting a series of blanks longitudinally alongsaid chamber.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ALEXANDER D. FERGUSON.

